Quasar brings "in the box" thinking to the iPad.
Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET

So far, true multitasking with the ease of use we came to expect on PCs has been hard to come by on most mobile devices, including the iPad. But a little hack called Quasar that's available for 10 bucks in the Cydia store seems to be the first to bring a decent windowed app management experience to jailbroken iPads.

Quasar brings much of the functionality of Windows to the touch screen ahead of the release of Windows 8 -- there's the ability to view multiple apps in windows simultaneously, resize, rearrange, close, or go full-screen. It's never been so easy to get some work done during a FaceTime conversation that's gone on just a bit too long.

Quasar is the product of Brazillian developer Pedro Franceschi, who says he's also working on Bluetooth keyboard support for the hack. Add a Start button and Quasar might just bring Windows to the tablet world via the iPad before Microsoft does.

About the author

Crave freelancer Eric Mack is a writer, radio producer, and podcaster based in Taos, N.M., but he lives in Google+. He's also managing editor of Crowdsourcing.org and has written e-books on both Alaska and Android. E-mail Eric.
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